Another Day, Another Maniac
by Scented Farts
Summary: Alex is woken up by a noise in the middle of the night. Someone was in the house.
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE READ** [SPOILER FOR SCORPIA RISING]: _This is NOT following the storyline in the ninth book. Jack is still alive- I'm sorry but Jacks death was a sort of a definite ending for me when I read the book, so I decided to keep her alive so it would be easier to continue the story…if you get my meaning o-o". Oh and another warning…I'm not a great writer so please bear with me when reading this story- this is my first Fan Fiction._

_Reviews are appreciated, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I'll be sure to read them all though! Thank you _^_^

_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ALEX RIDER._

**Chapter One**

People always said that teenagers needed more sleep than adults, but why was it that they insisted on going to sleep so late, thought fifteen year old Alex Rider as he lay in bed. It was 02:00am but Alex couldn't get to sleep.

'It must be the hormones', he thought with a smile as he surfed through his iPod for a decent song. Adults were always blaming hormones for any odd behaviour from teenagers. He adjusted his left leg on top of his duvet, keeping his right one underneath it. Why couldn't the air be the right temperature for once? It was either too cold or too hot.

After about ten songs, he left his iPod playing on 'Dirty Little Secrets'. He wasn't a huge fan of The All American Rejects, but he did enjoy quite a few of their songs. As he listened he thought about how the song sort of matched with his own life. He had a dirty little secret of his own. He frowned at the thought. It had been months since MI6 had contacted him, but he was sure they'd be back.

He pushed the negative thoughts out of his head and thought about the day ahead of him. He had to be up by 07:00am unfortunately, and in school by 8:40am. Why couldn't it start later? He laughed silently to himself thinking that every child must have asked themselves that same question at least once in their lives.

'It's to prepare you for becoming an adult', Jack Starbright had told him once when he was younger. 'Adults need to be up early so they can make breakfast for kids', she had said eyeing him as he giggled, just having finished breakfast. The thought of breakfast made his stomach rumble, and he found himself looking forward to the eggs Jack would be making him the following morning. Oh how he loved her. She was like the older sister he never had. What would he do without her? Thinking about Jack comforted him and soon Alex slowly drifted to sleep…

'BANG!' The sound of something falling caused Alex to jump into wakefulness. He looked at his clock- it had only been half an hour since he had fallen asleep, what could have caused the noise? 'JACK!' he thought and quickly got out of bed. He glanced at himself in the mirror as he went past, his blonde hair was a mess and his eyes were longing for sleep. No time to worry about his appearance, he had to see if Jack was alright. He was about to make his way downstairs when he heard voices. Unless Jack was talking to herself somebody else was in the house. He crouched behind the banister trying to understand what they were saying.

'..cking idiot! I told you to watch where you were going!' whispered a man with an accent Alex couldn't quite figure out.

'Sorry! The woman kicked me on my face when I was trying to tie her legs and I hit the shelves', a second man whispered. He sounded younger than the first man, with the same strange accent. 'It wasn't my fa…-'

'Shut up! You talk too much.' the first man whispered harshly. 'Finish tying her legs up and inject the anaesthetic into her. We need to get out of here soon'.

'Is there anyone else in the house?' asked the young man.

'A fifteen year old boy. He must be asleep, that's if your foolishness didn't wake him up. Don't worry, I'll deal with him while you're putting her in the van.'

Alex tried not to panic. He assessed the situation: two men were trying to kidnap Jack for some unknown reason. The younger of the two wasn't so smart- he stored that information away for future use. He had to act quickly, or else they would take Jack away and he had no idea where they were headed. He heard a squeal which he assumed came from Jack. She must have been injected. Alex had an idea.

He made his way quietly to his room and scanned around for something heavy. His eyes passed his Xbox, but he wasn't going the throw that out the window. After a few seconds his eyes settled on his lamp. It was made out of glass. 'Perfect' he thought. He unplugged it and ran to the window. It was already open as he was feeling hot earlier that night. He listened to see if anybody was coming upstairs, and once he was sure nobody was there, he dropped the lamp. There was a loud shattering sound as it hit the concrete outside. He was sure some of the neighbours were woken up.

He ran back to the stairs, and heard the men whispering loudly. He couldn't make out what they were saying but he knew they heard the sound. Alex ducked behind the banister once more, and as if on cue he saw two shadows run out the front door which had been left open. He wasted no time hesitating, he ran down four stairs at a time and came to a halt at the bottom. Looking outside he could see the two men searching for the source of the crash, and shut the door before they could get back in. He ran towards the living room and buckled over one of his school shoes.

Jack was lying awkwardly on the sofa, her hands and legs tied, and her mouth taped up. 'How original' he thought. She was asleep. Alex was able to relax a little, knowing that the men were outside. He was about to untie Jack when he heard someone chuckling at the back of the room. A shiver went down his spine and he turned around slowly. He couldn't quite make out the person, but he caught a glimpse of a shiny object in his right hand. A knife.

Alex froze. He should have realised that they wouldn't have left Jack here on her own. He swore inwardly and tried to calm himself. The figure at the back of the living room just stood there staring at him, probably deciding on which method of killing Alex would be best. Alex was about to move when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He turned around, and standing there watching him with a glistening red knife in his hands was a man who looked to be around 25. His long black hair hanging in front of his face and his green eyes looking at Alex with a mixture of curiosity and madness. Alex was in shock- then the pain hit him. It was overwhelming. He held his hand over the wound as if to stop the bleeding but it kept coming. His cheek was stinging, and he realised he had been cut there too. He fell to his knees and cradled his wound.

'Sorry about that boy, my hand slipped', the black haired man mused. 'Seeing as you're already hurt, it would be a waste to let you bleed to death don't you think? '

Alex couldn't speak even if he wanted to. He was badly injured and wanted the pain to stop. He was losing a lot of blood and he knew that sooner or later he would pass out. Hopefully it would be sooner.

'I think it's about time I ended your life boy. It's a shame really, such a handsome young man you are' the man slid the knife across his neck, and Alex felt himself shiver. 'Perhaps if we met somewhere else…-'

'That's enough Dimitri', the dark figure at the back of the room made his way towards them. Alex knew that voice from somewhere.

'Aww, you're no fun', Dimitri said pouting.

'Leave the boy alone, I'll deal with him', the figure stooped down until he was eye level with Alex. 'It's been a while, hasn't it, Alex?'

A wave of recognition hit Alex like a bullet. He felt sick. No longer able to keep his eyes open, he took one last look at the face before unconsciousness gratefully washed over him.

It was Yassen.

_**Note to whoever read this:**__ THANK YOU SO MUCH! If even one person reads this it will make my day . As I said I'm not the greatest writer, I'm better at Maths/Science, but I try! o-o"_

_What do you guys think about the story? Should I continue? :s If you guys enjoy the story then I'll write more! I have a GCSE Chemistry exam tomorrow and a Physics exam on Friday, but if anyone wants I'll write more. Again, thank you for reading this :^)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter of this! :') I'm like in love with you guys right now. Seriously, my heart skipped a beat every time I received a notification from FF in my email. Does that make me a loser? Well…I'm proud! :D I've replied to all my reviews (I hope! :o). _

_I just want to clear something up before you guys read the second chapter…this is __**NOT**__ a Yassen x Alex FF, I'm not a big fan of the pairing. To be honest with you, I wasn't planning on having any romance in this story…I know little about the subject of love so I would have no idea what to write XD I'm going to try and keep the character personalities the same as they are in the book._

_Anyway, enjoy reading. I hope you guys like it ^^ Criticism is welcome :^)_

**Chapter Two**

It was cold. His head was pounding. Alex tried to stand up, but was unsuccessful. His whole body ached. He looked down at his torso to see where the pain was coming from. There was blood on his pyjama top- not a good sign. He lifted the top to look underneath which he immediately regretted. There was a thin red gash across the left side of his stomach which seemed to have been stitched up. The wound looked like it was about to burst open any second. There was a dark bruise around the gash, and white pus was starting to form around it. Not able to control his disgust, Alex turned to his right side and threw up the contents of his last meal.

When there was nothing else to regurgitate, Alex put his back against one of the walls and tried to collect his thoughts. What had happened to him? He could remember hearing a noise in the night and going to see what it was. He forced his brain to co-operate. After going downstairs he had seen Jack tied up…and he remembered green eyes. Yes! That was it. He had been stabbed by a man with green eyes. Was that all? His head didn't hurt as much as before but he still couldn't remember the last details of what happened. He knew there was something missing but he decided not to linger on the thought, it must not have been that important. He had that unpleasant taste at the back of his throat that came after vomiting and he longed for a glass of water to wash out the taste.

Alex looked around, trying to get a hint of where he was, but it was no use. He was in a small square room about three metres in length. There was a rusted iron door on the wall to his left with a small rectangular window at the top. Alex scanned the room for any cameras. There weren't any visible ones but he was certain that there was at least one hidden somewhere in the room. Lifting himself off the floor, Alex attempted to stand up again. He used the wall for support and steadied himself with his hands. His head started to pound again, but he ignored it, as well as the pain of his injury. Alex made his way to the door, careful not to move too quickly. He was about to turn the handle when a lock sounded and the door opened.

He knew it. He remembered fully now. There _was_ something he had forgotten. Well, more like someone. Yassen entered the room and stared at Alex for a minute or so. He felt uncomfortable under the gaze of the assassins pale blue eyes. After a while Yassen seemed to have gotten bored and turned away.

'Follow me' was all he said.

'Why…how? I thought you were dead.' It was the first thought that came to his head.

'There's no ti-' Yassen was cut off by Alex.

'There's plenty of time. I'm not following you if you don't give me answers.' Alex said firmly.

Yassen sighed. 'It's not that hard to fake death Alex. I am dead to most of the world, and I was dead to you until two days ago.'

'Two days…?' Alex was surprised. He'd been unconscious for a whole day.

'Now, if that is all, he would like to see you', Yassen turned and headed for the door.

'He?' Alex had more questions for Yassen, but curiosity overtook him.

'My employer' Yassen said not stopping for further explanation.

Yassen led Alex out of the room into a long dark corridor. He slowed his pace when he saw that the boy had trouble walking. There was a flight of stairs leading somewhere upstairs, and Alex was relieved when Yassen turned right into a lift. They both got in and the doors closed. There were fourteen floors altogether and Yassen reached out to press the eighth button. They must be in some sort of hotel. As it descended upwards an awkward silence filled the lift. Well, at least to Alex it was awkward. Yassen didn't even seem to notice. Alex glanced at the man- he stood there like a statue. His face was straight, not giving anything away. Alex turned back as the doors opened. He was led out into a corridor very different from the first one. Mini chandeliers hung from the ceiling and there were paintings hanging on the walls. As they walked, Alex looked at the paintings hanging on both sides. There were two paintings of animals, one a tiger and the other a lion. He passed many paintings of nude women and wondered what kind of man he was about to meet. They stopped at a golden double door with an inscription on each handle. Alex was about to read what it said when Yassen opened the door.

Alex was stunned. The room screamed money. Everything was either made from gold or diamonds.

'Wow,' Alex said looking around. There were larger chandeliers on the ceiling and six mirrors in total around the room. Alex groaned. He was beginning to dread meeting with this man. Anybody who had gold furniture and six mirrors in one room wasn't the type of person Alex was in a rush to meet.

'Sit down', Yassen instructed. 'He will be with you shortly'.

Alex walked over to one of the golden sofas to the right of the room. He winced as he sat down but was relieved. His wound was beginning to hurt again, and he felt light headed. There was a small tray of biscuits on the table in front of him, but he didn't want to eat them. He didn't want to give in to hunger, and there might be something in the biscuits anyway.

'Hello there! I believe you must be Mr. Rider? I am Mr. Vale.' A man who seemed to be in his forties entered the room from a door Alex had missed. He had shoulder length dyed white hair and a wrinkle free face- most likely constructed from surgery. Alex didn't respond. He stared at the smiling man as he walked towards Alex. 'It's been a while since you had something to eat, help yourself to a biscuit!'

'I'm not hungry', Alex replied, but was betrayed by his stomach as it gave a loud growl. There was a few seconds silence and he blushed, embarrassed, then there was a loud booming laugh coming from the white haired man. This caused Alex to blush even more, and he looked away from the man only to see a slight smile on Yassen's face which was quickly wiped off when he caught Alex watching him.

After his laughter subsided, Mr. Vale spoke. 'Come on! Don't try to act all manly. Have something to eat', he picked up a rectangular biscuit and handed it to Alex. Alex gratefully took it and devoured it within seconds. The man stared at Alex curiously, not saying a word. After having a third biscuit, Alex looked up.

'Where's Jack?' He asked.

'Jack?' Genuine confusion showed on the man's face. 'OOH! I assume you mean the mouthy red head! She's being prepared'.

'Prepared for what?' Alex asked- dread building inside of him. He didn't like this man and knew whatever he was going to say was bad.

'What do you think?' Mr. Vale said with a laugh. 'She's going to be sold!'

**A/N:** _What did you guys think? I just finished my Chemistry exam so I thought I would write another chapter for you guys. Thank you again for reading my story . I don't think I'll be able to add another one tomorrow as I have to revise for Physics, seeing as my parents want me to do physics engineering or something of the sort, I have to get A/A*'s for my science and maths exams_ o-o"

_I'll explain more in the next chapter, but feel free to ask any questions ^_^ I'll reply to all the reviews :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Thanks to everyone for reading my story ^_^_

_This chapter is a short one- I was bored so I decided to write it. I'll revise for Physics after. :'D_

**Chapter Three**

Alex was confused. What was this man talking about?

'What do you mean she's being sold?' Alex asked.

'I mean exactly what I said.' Mr. Vale didn't seem to be taking it seriously.

'Sold for what!' Alex was fed up of this man already. The prepared himself for the answer.

'Please do not raise your voice at me Mr. Rider.' Mr. Vale said. It was then that Alex saw the cruelty in his eyes. 'If you had phrased your question properly I would have answered it.'

Alex just stared, frustration building up inside of him.

Mr. Vale continued, 'There are many people who would pay good money for a good woman. Especially people overseas. Now, my job is to find these women. I simply search for young desirable women, and your friend… Jack was it? Anyway, she was perfect.'

'You mean you're selling her as a prostitute…?' Alex was dazed- this man was obviously a maniac.

'Well, I don't like the word prostitute. It's a little degrading don't you think? Besides, they'll be performing other duties such as cooking and cleaning for their owners.' Alex flinched at the word owners.

'You can't do this to her…to anyone!' Alex was angry and didn't care if it showed. 'What you're doing is wrong! You're going to be found out sooner or later.'

'HA! I've been doing this for countless years boy! And nobody has ever even suspected me of killing a fly!'

'I'm not going to let you do this' Alex said.

'Oh don't worry- they aren't the only ones being sold.' He looked at the boy with a smile. Alex knew what was coming. 'You will be joining them.'

Alex wanted to lash out at the man. Who did he think he was, selling humans as if they were objects.

'I've heard about you, Alex Rider. You've been working for MI6 since you were fourteen. There are many people around the world who would pay a lot of money for you. That's why I called Mr. Gregorovich and told him to keep you alive. You're going to make me make me a heap load of money Alex!'

'You're not selling me.' Alex said firmly.

'You don't have a choice' Mr. Vale said getting up. 'It's time to get you ready. You look a mess! I doubt anyone will want to buy you in those blood stained pyjamas!'

Alex was about to speak when he was grabbed roughly by two pairs of hands. He turned and saw two oriental looking men, one older than the other. They must have been the men that were trying to kidnap Jack.

'So, you're the one that locked us out of the house?' The man sneered. Alex struggled in their grasp, trying to get them to let go. He managed to elbow the younger of the two, but was rewarded with a fist in his stomach. He doubled over clutching his injury, he was sure it had been re-opened. This was confirmed when he lifted his hands only to be greeted by blood. 'Great' he thought.

'There's no point struggling Alex, it will only result in you getting hurt' Mr. Vale was standing at the corner of the room. He was obviously more interested in the state of his finger nails than the commotion going on. 'Take him to the preparation room Jae' He said to the older man. 'Make sure he doesn't escape'.

Alex was dragged out of the room through the door he had come from. They were halfway through the corridor when he made his break for it. There were doors leading to a staircase at the end of the corridor. He slipped out of the grasp of the man and ran for the doors. He heard him shouting but didn't bother trying to make sense of it. He had to concentrate on running. His stomach was in pain, but he kept going. He had find Jack and escape. Once Alex was through the doors he ran full speed down the stairs and almost fell. He regained his balance only to hear footsteps coming from behind him. He kept running until he found a door. He turned the handle. Locked. Alex turned to see Jae a flight of stairs behind him. He swore to himself- the man was fast. Alex leapt down a flight of stairs and felt his right ankle twist. He ignored it and continued, but he was slower than before. He was about to go down another set of steps when he felt someone grab him from behind.

He twisted, escaping from the man's grip. He felt a sting in his ankle as he twisted and lost his footing. Alex was falling. Well, at first he was. His arms reached out to protect the rest of his body as he hit the flight of stairs. He felt a click in his left wrist. Great. A broken ankle _and_ wrist. He braced himself for the rest of the fall. It wasn't long, but it was painful. He landed on his right side and slid across the floor. His head slammed into the wall and he heard himself scream in pain. It was too much for him. For the second time that week Alex was out cold.

**A/N:** _Hope you enjoyed it :D I'm sorry I keep hurting Alex! D: I can't help it!_

_Anyway…I'm gonna go revise now… *mutters under breath* :'(_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_Sorry I didn't update earlier! I was knackered after the Physics exam and slept for the whole day, and yesterday my dad had to go to the hospital. He was back today though(Just in time for fathers day ^^) I've been spending most of the today taking care of him :P I thought you guys deserved another chapter, and I'm sleepy as hell writing this so it's quite short, sorry :(_

**Chapter Four**

The room completely different from the first one. Firstly, he was on a bed, which surprised him. It wasn't amazing, but it was comfortable. Alex sat up in the bed and held his head. He felt nauseated but it wasn't as bad as before. When his hand came into contact with his head, he felt a throbbing pain in his left wrist and remembered that it had either been twisted or broken. He looked down and saw that is right ankle was slightly swollen. Lifting the duvet off himself, he stood up. Alex bit his lip as half his weight pressed down on his ankle, but ignored the pain. He had to get used to it if he was every going to get out of this place. He stole a glance of himself in the mirror across the room. His face was pale and he looked worn out. How long had he been out for? He was relieved to see his clothes had been changed and his outfit now consisted of white trousers with a matching top. The wound on his stomach had been stitched up again, but it looked cleaner this time, and didn't hurt as much.

There was a window to the left of the room and a door on the right. He limped over and looked out the window but was greeted by a black covering that had been put on the other side. Great, he wasn't even allowed to _look_ outside. Not expecting it to be open, he walked over to the door and turned the handle only to be proven right. Alex thought about Jack, and how he may never see her again, but what could he do for her? He felt useless, and strangely enough he was wishing MI6 knew about all of this. They would at least do more than he was doing right now. Alex went back to the bed and sat there with his head in his hands. No matter what he had to get Jack out of here, even if it meant risking his own life.

'Finally! You're awake boy!' Alex was startled, he hadn't heard anyone enter the room. As he turned he found a pair of green eyes staring excitedly at him.

'You're…' , he didn't finish his sentence. Despite himself, he felt fear course through his blood. Why was this man here…and why was he happy to see Alex? He couldn't remember the man's name, but his eyes were unforgettable. He had never seen such a shade of green in all his life. His black hair were neater than they had been that night, with one stray lock hanging in front of his face. He was wearing a black suit with no tie. The jacket was open the top three buttons of his white shirt were undone. He hated to admit it but the man was rather handsome, but this made Alex all the more wearier of him. He had learnt on many occasions that appearances can be deceiving.

'I'm Dimitri' the man smiled. 'Oh, and no hard feelings about before?'

'You stabbed me' Alex said.

'Well, to be fair we were given orders to kill you at first boy.'

'My name isn't boy. It's Alex'. He wasn't in any mood to play friends with this man.

'Sorry _Alex_' he exaggerated Alex's name. 'You could be a little nicer to me you know. After all I did save your life.'

What was he talking about? He'd almost killed him! Alex couldn't hide the surprise on his face. 'You didn't save me…you tried to kill me!'

'Well yes…but I was the one who sewed you up and took care of your other injuries. I've been looking after you for the past few days. I think I deserve a thank you!' Dimitri pouted.

'Thank you _so _much for almost killing me and having the decency to care for the wound that you caused.' Alex said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. 'Now, where is Jack?'

For a second Alex saw something that resembled sadness on the man's face. 'They found a buyer. He's willing to pay quite a large sum of money for her.' Dimitri sighed. 'Why did she have to get mixed up in all of this?'

Alex was confused. What was he talking about? For one Alex thought he was..well- gay, after all he did sort of hit on him, right after stabbing him Alex reminded himself. And why was he talking as if he cared about Jack? It was partly his fault she was here!

'What are you talking about?' He asked.

Dimitri hesitated for a second. 'Well you see Alex…me and your guardian Jack…well, to put it simply, we used to date.'

**A/N: **_Again, sorry it's so short! I promise, I'll write you a longer one soon, and hope you liked it_^_^


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Okay, so here's the long chapter I promised you guys! I got up at 9:00am today, and it turns out that it really makes a difference to my day! I'm not as sleepy even though I got less sleep, and there are so many hours left in the day :L I guess I shouldn't wake up at 5pm every day…_

_Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter ^_^_

**Chapter Five**

'WHAT?' Alex couldn't contain his surprise. 'You…and Jack…?'

'Yes Alex, I used to date her. It didn't work out well though as you may have realised.' Dimitri said.

Alex just stared at the man. Why was it that Jack had relationships with men who wanted Alex dead? It didn't really matter now though, this man had helped Mr. Vale with his plans to sell Jack. He didn't understand how people could so suddenly turn their backs on people they loved, but then again he had met worse.

Dimitri looked uncomfortable as the silence stretched on and decided to break the silence, 'Anyway…I came here to take you to get fixed up. You don't look as bad as you did a few days ago, but there is still some cleaning up to be done!'

That was when Alex remembered he was due to be sold as well. He had been worrying about Jack so much that he almost forgot. He had to think of something quick, or he would lose Jack.

'Take me to Jack' Alex finally said. 'If you do, I won't resist when you're selling me'.

Dimitri considered it. What could the boy possibly do? He wasn't in great condition, and security around the hotel had been increased so there was an almost impossible chance that he could escape.

'Very well. No funny business though' Dimitri said firmly. 'Now, it's time for you to go and have something to eat. Enjoy it while you can, it'll be your last meal before you're sold. Oh, while we're on the subject, the boss has found you a buyer. The man is willing the pay a wagon-load for you!'

Alex wasn't surprised, but even so he was curious as to who would pay that much money for him. Possibly someone from Scorpia? 'What's his name?' Alex asked.

'Hmm, I can't remember properly, but it was something like Mr. Parker. Yes, that was it. Will Parker.' Dimitri said, smiling. 'You know, if I had as much money as this man had, I'd consider buying you.'

'Yes, well, you don't.' Alex said simply. He was trying to remember if he'd ever encountered someone called Will Parker. He scanned his memories but nothing struck.

'No need to be so mean!' Dimitri said, trying and failing to look hurt. 'It's almost eleven- I think I'll join you for brunch!'

Alex was taken to a small kitchen with a table in the middle. There was a bowl of fruit on the table and a rack of finger breads. Alex tensed himself as he looked at the other side of the table. Yassen was sitting at the table, seemingly unaware that anyone else was in the room. He was reading a book Alex didn't recognise, and was eating eggs, bacon and toast. Alex almost laughed but kept it inside. He never imagined that an assassin could look so…well, normal. He still had that deadly aurora around him, but looked more human.

'Sit down Alex. What would you like for breakfast?' Dimitri asked, walking towards the stove.

Alex was surprised that he was being fed, let alone given the choice of what to eat. He decided to make the most of it. He needed to collect as much energy as possible if he was ever going to escape. At his current state he had no chance.

'Um… I'll have what Yassen is having' Alex said, looking over at the man's plate. He was sitting opposite him, but Alex had shifted his chair a little to the right. It would give him a suitable amount of energy, besides it looked good. Yassen briefly looked up at the mention of his name, but seemed to lose interest and get back to his book.

'Okay!' Dimitri said happily 'I'll have the same thing.'

Alex sat in silence at the table trying to think of a plan to help Jack escape. He wanted to see her more than anything right now. This wasn't the first time she had been captured by some maniac, but Alex prayed it was the last. Even if he didn't get a chance to escape with her, he would go looking for her once he was out of here.

'Eat up!' Dimitri said placing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. Alex grunted his thanks. He didn't want to get into the habit of saying thank you to a killer. Dimitri sat next to Yassen, and Alex found himself sitting opposite two killers.

'Yaassseennn!' Dimitri moaned, elbowing Yassen lightly. 'Stop reading at the table! You're always reading. Give it a rest for once.'

Yassen simply ignored him and forked piece of egg into his mouth. He put down his fork and turned a page in his book. Alex chuckled to himself. He didn't think Yassen would allow anyone to annoy him, but it seemed as if he had grown fond of this man, even though he refused to show it.

Dimitri looked over at Alex and smirked when he saw his laughing. 'You know Yassen, right Alex? How did the two of you meet?'

It was Yassen who spoke- 'We met on several occasions. The boy has a knack for getting into trouble, and I was always part of the trouble, so it isn't really that surprising that we encountered.

'It's not like I ask to get into trouble you know' Alex groaned. 'Trouble just has a way of finding me.'

Dimitri sniggered and looked back at Yassen 'I'm surprised he's alive if he had the pleasure of meeting you on more than one occasions.'

'Oh, he's tried, but he never managed to kill me.' Alex was trying hard to make it sound like an insult. He neglected to mention that Yassen had also saved his life.

'Don't sound so pleased with yourself Alex, I could easily kill you' Yassen gave Alex a deadly stare.

Alex gulped. He knew the man wasn't lying, but he also knew that he was under orders not to kill him, and that made him feel a lot more relieved. He looked over and saw Dimitri laughing- again. The man had didn't seem to take anything seriously.

Once they were finished eating, with Dimitri throwing comments about both Alex and Yassen, he got up. 'So…who's doing the dishes?'

'Don't you have like…a maid to do things like that?' Alex asked. He wasn't even expecting the man to cook for himself, let alone clean up after himself.

'This is our private kitchen. Nobody is allowed in here, except me, Yassen and a few other employees'.

'Oh' Alex said. He averted his eyes, trying to avoid eye contact with the man.

Dimitri had a cunning smile on his face. 'So, Alex, you wanted to go and see Jack right? Well, the faster the dishes get done, the sooner you get to see her'.

Alex stood and picked up his plate. He didn't want to give in, but he wanted to see Jack. 'Fine' he muttered grumpily.

Dimitri handed him his plate and Alex walked over to the sink.

'You're forgetting about mine Alex' the cold, amused voice of Yassen said.

'He didn't make breakfast for you, and you were here before us!' Alex complained.

'Why do kids always make up excuses?' Yassen enquired.

'I'm not a kid' Alex said sternly, but nonetheless, he dragged his feet over and grabbed the plate out of Yassen's hand.

After he moodily finished drying the dishes, Alex walked over to the men. Dimitri was sitting on the table next to Yassen, swinging his legs. He really seemed to like Yassen- and Alex wondered why. Then again Alex didn't like him either, so it's didn't bother him much.

'Take me to Jack now' Alex demanded.

Dimitri looked at Alex, his expression bored. 'Oh yeah.' He hopped off the table. 'Coming Yassen?'

'Yes. I don't want the boy escaping'.

Alex hated how they were acting as if he wasn't there. Dimitri walked in front chattering away to Yassen, the man obviously not interested. Alex followed, and after a while all three of them were in the lift. For some reason, Alex was feeling tired though he had slept for days. He ignored it- he had to keep alert for Jack.

They got out on the third floor, and walked along the corridor. There were several rooms to his sides, but he didn't pay much attention to them. The two men stopped outside room 67. They knocked and were told to enter after a few seconds silence. Dimitri pranced into the room, obviously not caring that there was a meeting going on. There were two groups of men behind each sofa, and two individual men sitting on them. Standing next to Mr. Vale, stood Jack. She looked beautiful. Red loose curls hung to the sides of her face, and the rest of her hair was gathered in a bun. She was wearing a knee length emerald green dress and a pair of white sandals. She looked up and saw Alex. A smile lit up her face and she looked even better than before.

Dimitri ran over and sat on the edge of the sofa next to Mr. Vale 'Dad!' he said, sliding down next to the man. Yassen had retreated to a corner of the room, observing what was going on.

Dad? Mr. Vale was Dimitri's father? No wonder he seemed so care-free about everything.

'Alex wants to say goodbye to Jack' he said, placing one of the sofa's pillows on his lap.

'Dimitri.' Mr. Vale said in a strained voice. 'I told you not to disturb me during these meetings.'

'Sorry dad, but the boy insisted!' Alex cursed the man as he put the blame on him.

His father sighed and looked at Alex. 'Go ahead. Be quick though, and don't try any funny business.' He said, repeating his son's words. 'You can go into the room over there. Yassen. Dimitri, go with them.

Alex walked through the door at the left of the room. He found himself in a room with a table and a single chair. Yassen followed then Jack, and lastly Dimitri.

'Jack...' Alex exhaled, embracing her.

'Alex!' Jack said hoarsely. She was trying to keep back her tears. 'Are you okay? They said you were recovering, what happened?'

'I'm fine Jack,' Alex said, letting her out of his grip. 'I just had a little scratch.' He didn't want her to know he had been stabbed, or that he had fallen down a flight of stairs.

'Jack, I promise you- I will come for you…' Alex said, feeling his own eyes stinging. 'I promise…'

Jack was trying to stay strong. She laughed and took Alex's hand. 'I'll be fine Alex! Don't worry about me. Please. Promise me you'll take care of yourself?' She squeezed his hand harder. Why was she talking like this? It was as if she didn't believe she would see him again.

'I promise.' Alex whispered, curling his baby finger around hers. 'Pinky promise.' Despite the situation, a wave of tiredness washed over him.

Alex felt tears slide down his cheek, but didn't wipe them away. Jack just embraced him again let out a choked cry. 'I love you Alex' was the last thing she whispered before a group of men came into the room.

Two of them grabbed Jack firmly and dragged her back towards the door. Dimitri reached out as if to stop them, but stopped himself. Alex kept holding Jack's hand, refusing to let go. The men tried to split them up but he fought against their hands. He felt a blow to his chest and gasped. It was enough to knock him out of Jack's grasp. He looked up in time to see Jack pulled out of the room.

'Jack...' Alex said softly. The energy was slowly draining out of him, and that was when he remembered that Dimitri had made breakfast for him. He must have slipped something into the food. His eyelids became heavy and he felt himself being caught by someone before he slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

**A/N: **_I hope that was long enough ^_^ It's my longest chapter so far! Anyway, I need to go cook so I'm off. Thank you for reading :D_

'


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay… I'm so sorry this took me so long to update :s It's been more than a week I know… I've just been really lazy o-o" Seriously, all I have been doing is sleeping and watching TV all day. I don't know if I should continue with this or not (I'm sorry I'm so damn lazy! I get bored of things really easily…) :'(**

**Anyway…here's another chapter for you guys!**

**Chapter Six**

The boy was still asleep. He had been given the drug six hours ago, and it was only a small amount, what was taking him so long? Mr. Vale stood over Alex's bed staring down at the fifteen year old boy. He looked pale, and Mr. Vale suspected he had a fever. Why didn't the kid just give up and allow himself to be sold, he thought to himself. He didn't understand humans at all sometimes. Why did they keep fighting even after all hope was lost?

'He's still not awake?' Mr. Vale heard his son's voice behind him.

'No, but I'll have to wake him soon. Mr. Parker will be here in two hours', he turned to his son. 'I'll trust you and Mr. Gregorovich to make sure he is ready in time?'

'Yes father' Dimitri said. 'Shall I wake him then', he added with a grin.

'Go ahead. I'll call Yassen in', with that Mr. Vale left the room.

Dimitri made his way towards the boy's bed. What was the best method of waking him up? He was bored so he wanted something creative. He searched the room and his eyes stopped at tap in the corner of the room. 'Perfect' he thought, grinning.

After leaving the tap running so the water was cold enough, Dimitri filled a cup with water and walked over to the boy's bed, being careful not to wake him up before he could finish his plan. He lifted the cup over the Alex's head and let the water fall on his face all at once. Alex jumped from his bed with a start.

'What was that?' he groaned, still half asleep, wiping the water and sleep out of his eyes.

'Your alarm', Dimitri laughed.

'Thanks.' Alex grunted. He felt light headed, and he suspected it wasn't just the effects of the drug, he must be sick.

'That wasn't the best idea Dimitri' the voice of Yassen came from the doorway. 'Mr. Vale told me Alex might have a fever, and throwing water on him doesn't help.'

'Well, it isn't my fault…I didn't know!' Dimitri groaned. 'Besides, he can't look much worse than he already does.'

Alex gave him an evil stare. A fever? Seriously? What more could go wrong?

'Mr. Parker will be here in two hours Alex,' Yassen said walking over to him. 'We're going to get you ready'.

'You guys…?' Alex wasn't sure what to think. He didn't know them very well, but neither of them seemed like the type to get anyone 'ready'.

'Yes, we're going to get Alex looking pretty for his master' Dimitri smirked. Alex flinched at the words 'pretty' and 'master', but chose to ignore him.

Yassen placed his hand on Alex's forehead, causing him to jump. His touch was cold, and he felt uncomfortable under the gaze of the assassin.

'You have a fever', Yassen said, taking his hand away from his forehead.

'Thanks, I had no idea.' Alex's said sarcastically. Yassen ignored the comment and grabbed his arm pulling him off the bed.

'We'll give you medicine for the time being.' Yassen walked out of the room pulling Alex along with him. Dimitri followed behind the pair.

After what seemed like hours of trying on clothes and having his hair combed into various styles, Alex was ready. At least he had been allowed to take a shower. His body was aching, and the medicine seemed to have no effect on his fever, but the cold water felt good against his skin. Dimitri had done most of the clothes picking, and he had also taken care of Alex's hair- which was combed neatly with a fringe hanging in front of his eyes. He was wearing an ironed white shirt with a black cardigan on top. He was given a pair of black jeans to watch the cardigan. Alex thought he looked more like one of those models you saw in the magazines than someone who was about to be sold. Dimitri had crossed the line by trying to put make up on him, and was given a punch in the face as an answer. Alex smiled as he thought about punching Dimitri- the man had been sulking ever since.

'Mr. Parker is here, come with me.' Yassen said after hanging up his mobile phone. Alex was taken to the same room he had last seen Jack. He didn't want to think about her, it made him feel worse than he did already.

Alex didn't recognise the man who sat across Mr. Vale. Had he ever met this man? Mr. Parker was a chubby man with sandy brown hair. He was smiling when Alex came into the room.

'You must be Alex!' he boomed in a loud voice. Alex recognised the voice, but couldn't put his finger on it.

'Do I know you..?' Alex asked. The man seemed friendly, but he knew better. Anybody who was willing to buy another human being wasn't worth being friends with.

'Oh you don't know me my dear boy, but I know you. I've heard a great deal about you, and wanted you all to myself!' Mr. Parker laughed, signalling for Alex to come closer.

Alex sat in the single sofa next to the two men but wasn't listening to anything they were saying. Truthfully, he couldn't care less. They were discussing money matters, and Alex didn't want to know how much he was 'worth'. He felt drowsy, and suspected that his fever wasn't getting any better. His nose was blocked and his skin felt as if it was radiating tons of heat every second. He regretted taking the cold shower- Jack had always told him to keep warm when he was sick. Alex was lost in thought when he heard his name being called. He looked up to see the smiling face of Mr. Parker looking up at him.

'We're going now Alex!' he smiled, as he got up. He offered a hand to Alex, which he gratefully took. Alex was feeling nauseated, and he didn't trust himself to get up. He took a few deep breaths which helped a little and followed the man out of the room. Once he was outside, he had full view of the hotel. It was beautiful, and people were entering and leaving as if they didn't know what was going on in there. They probably didn't.

Alex walked behind the man in silence. There were two men beside him and one behind him. Mr. Parker obviously didn't trust him to stay. Yassen and Dimitri had stayed behind in the hotel, and he was relieved that he didn't have to deal with the men.

They walked out of the hotel gates towards a black car parked on the opposite side of the road. It was dark outside, and Alex found himself shivering at the cold. He sneezed, which caused one of the men beside him to jump slightly. He took this as his chance. With all the strength left in him he kicked the man in his stomach causing him to stumble back. Alex started to run, not daring to look behind him. He was surprised he hadn't been grabbed yet, the men must not have been as tough as they looked. After five minutes of running, Alex found himself nearing a park. He stopped for a breath and listened for any sign of pursuers. Nothing. It was too quiet for his liking, but he made kept walking. He had to find somewhere to hide quickly. A thought crossed his mind- why didn't the men call after him when he ran off? As soon as it sunk in, Alex was pulled into a black car. He hadn't even seen the car coming! He struggled against the hands that were grabbing him, but it was useless. These men were strong. He felt a hand clasp around his mouth.

Mr. Parker looked behind from the front seat with a surprisingly worried look on his face.

'Alex, calm down' he said in a quiet voice. 'We're not going to hurt you.'

'Alex bit the hand over his mouth and heard a man swear.

'Let me go!' he screamed. His throat hurt- he must be getting a sore throat he thought with a groan.

'Don't you recognise me?' Mr. Parker said grinning, his voice sounding more familiar than ever. 'Well, I wouldn't expect you to recognise me in this disguise.'

Alex stopped fighting and stared at the man. He couldn't believe his luck! He grinned back at the man in the front seat.

'Smithers!'

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their alerts/favourites and to those of you who have reviewed! It really helps knowing that you guys are enjoying the story :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: A BIG thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with this story despite my slow updating…again I'm so sorry, but this time I have an excuse! I went on holiday last week to the Forest of Dean, so I couldn't update, and me being the big Harry Potter nerd I am I spent most of my time pretending I was in the scene where they went there. Even though Hagrid was never in that part, my sister was him xD**

**So anyway …here's a new chapter for you all ^_^**

**Chapter Seven**

Alex sat drowsily in the back seat wondering where Smithers was taking him. Truthfully, he didn't really care, he was just happy that the man had rescued him from that place. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about being sold to a stranger, it's horrible feeling as if you belong to someone…Jack must be feeling like that right now. Squeezing his hands to his forehead, Alex thought about what MI6 were planning for him. No doubt they would send him on a mission once he was better, but he wouldn't agree to it. Nothing was going to stop him from finding Jack, he was planning to keep the promise he had made her. Looking to his sides, he saw two agents dressed in black. They sat with straight backs and their faces were alert. Alex was beginning to feel a cramped and wished he could open the window. He had asked, but Smithers had said no seeing as it was raining outside and Alex already had a fever.

'You okay back there Alex?' Smithers asked turning his head.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' Alex lied. He felt like throwing up, and his body was aching. He was cold and hot at the same time, and more than anything he wanted to sleep.

'Oh okay. Good then! We're almost there!' Smithers grinned at the boy. He knew Alex wasn't well, but he didn't want to tell the boy how bad he looked. He was sure he already had some idea.

The car continued down the dark streets and Alex's eyes began to close. He couldn't help it, the fever was getting worse and his body was giving in to it. The lights of passing buildings and street lamps flickered by as he dozed off.

'Alex.' Someone was shaking him gently. He fought the hand on his shoulder, not wanting wake up but his senses got the better of him. Opening his eyes he saw Smithers looking down at him in concern.

'Alex, we've arrived.' He held out a hand for Alex to take. Once he was out of the car he looked towards the building they were parked next to- the hospital. He groaned inwardly thinking that he would probably be forced to stay there for a few days while he recovered. Smithers offered to help Alex but he refused. His ankle had gotten worse after running and he could hardly see where he was going in the rain, but it felt good on his boiling skin. If he had the choice he would have stayed outside a little longer but he knew they wouldn't let him. Alex winced once he was inside. The place had that 'hospital feel' to it, but then again it was a hospital after all.

He was taken to a private room by a friendly looking nurse. She had told him to wait in there until a doctor came to see him. His eyes were already closing by the time the doctor arrived. The man was tall with jet black hair combed over his head, and a stern looking face. He looked like the type of person who took life too seriously.

'Alex Rider?' The doctor said making his way towards him.

'Yes.'

'I'm Dr. Maynard, I'll be looking after you for the next few days'.

So they _were _expecting him to stay there.

' told me that you have a fever, and you may be injured in other places. Is that correct?'

'Well…yeah but I don't feel tha-'

'Tell me where you are injured.'

Alex spent the next two hours being scrutinised by the man. Even though Alex had told the man that his ankle was broken, and suspected his wrist was too, the doctor had insisted on checking every other part of his body for injuries. There was a slight look of surprise on the man's face when he had seen the stab wound, but he asked no questions. After bandaging the wound and 'fixing' everything else, Alex was alone in the room with a bowl of soup. He had been given medication and the doctor insisted that he went to sleep once he was finished with the soup- not that he had a problem with that. Finishing off the last spoonful, Alex lay back on his pillow. The comfort of the bed and knowing he was safe allowed him to relax and he was asleep within minutes.

The following day was uneventful. Alex was given more medication and his fever was getting better quickly. He had been sleeping until noon, and lay in bed for the rest of the day. The food wasn't great. It was far from it actually. Dr. Maynard had told the nurses to only serve him healthy food until he was a little better, and they would not budge. Alex had asked for ice-cream once, but was told he couldn't have any. Thankfully Smithers was able to sneak a Snickers bar in for him from one of the vending machines and Alex had accepted it gratefully. He couldn't help but feel like he owed this man something.

It was 6pm and Alex was in bed watching a rather funny sitcom called 'Scrubs' on his television when she arrived. He hadn't been expecting her so soon but he wasn't surprised by her presence.

'Alex.' She greeted.

'Mrs. Jones.' He nodded his head in greeting.

'I have to talk to you Alex.' She hesitated for a few seconds and then continued. 'Your school have set an assignment for you. The question is, are you willing to do it?'

He knew that 'school assignment' was just another way of telling him that MI6 had a mission for him, but he wasn't interested.

'I'm sorry, but I'm busy at the moment. I have another… assignment that needs my attention right now.'

'Well that's good news then, because this certain assignment ties in with your other one.'

Wait…did she know what he was talking about?

'What do you mean?' Alex asked curiously.

'Your current assignment involves finding something, right? Well, this new assignment will help you find what you are looking for.'

**A/N: Did you guys understand what I was talking about in that last part? I hope you did :s Anywhoo, enjoy! I MAY write another chapter tonight because my parents are going out to a party and me and my sister are buying a bunch of unhealthy food and stuffing ourselves. Yeah…that's the life... xD**

**I thought it was about time I throw Alex into a mission so there you go. Please review if you have thoughts on the story, or want me to add anything to it or if there is something I can improve. Thanks :D I promise to reply to all the reviews on this chapter, I lost track of the ones I was replying to so I'll just start again :D **


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